Jean Milligan

“ There was nothing else up there, tractors or trucks, that had the heavy, deep-throated rumbling and vibrating of the huge steam shovel. On Sundays we often drove past the excavations.
"He keeps Big Mike all polished up," Ed growled, and even I could notice how shiny the steamshovel was, its cab where the operator sat on the left side resplendent under a new coat of red paint
Ed Mumbled a lot under his breath those days and what I could mainly make out was the word "Ronsford." He hated the shovel's operator, swore there was an unholy allegiance between the man and machine. ”

“ People who have seen things and had things happen that other folks don't experience are called crazy. It's the easiest way—and the most reassuring!
So I go over and over the story in my mind, and I say, Vilma—that's my name—here's just what has happened to you from the beginning, and because it's all so clear and distinct—you're not crazy! It all started with that construction job just above the Northville Valley country, or maybe it all started when I married Ed Meglund.
Ed had always been in construction. ”

“ Well, one steam shovel looks about the same to me as another with those caterpillar feet and the operator's house and then the scoop that comes out so, you know. A woman never sees the same in them as a man does. Ed was just bubbling over.
"Isn't he a beaut!"
I read the letters that ran across the coping near the roof. Greene Construction Company, I made out.
"We call him Big Mike."
"That's a name for a derrick," I sniffed. "Howdya get that?"
"Oh, I dunno," replied Ed. "But isn't that a beaut!" he sighed.
That there steam shovel's built to dig. Brother—dig graves! ”

“ Blake's voice droned on—"Don't you see it's all association... that unpleasant night... the death of your husband... shock...."
The monster, Big Mike, down there had a face and the face was looking at me grinning. The shovel was its mouth, the cab a red, baleful eye fixed on my window. I screamed then, whirled and ran for the door. I had to get away. That was all that mattered. I had to! I had to!
The shock of Miss Meadows' heavy body brought me back to reality somewhat as the nurse stepped in front of me just before I reached the door, and threw her strong arms expertly around me. ”

“ Certainly, whatever it was, it was getting louder and it came to have a familiarity, but it was Ed who said, "Vilma, that's construction equipment. It's Big Mike!"
And I remember as he said it there was wonder in his voice, no more than that—just... wonder.
I asked, "What are they doing up there? Working any sort of night shift?"
"Naw. I'd know if they were."
Then in a few more seconds, "That noise is getting louder, isn't it, Vilma?"
"Yes," I agreed.
"Somebody's running the damned machine." Ed started to get out of bed. "It's coming this way. What's this? Some kind of joke?" ”

“ But you know the song, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"! Even I, Vilma, and his wife, wouldn't exactly have ever called Ed good. The outfit he'd worked for was Greene Construction and as Ed had never had much education, they gave him the jobs you could tell he could do just by looking at him, driving a ballast truck or digging or shoveling or using his strength and weight somehow.
He made a fair salary and we lived in Northville pretty comfortably. But I remember the night he came home and said they had a shovel on the job now, a big new tractor steam shovel, he told me. ”

“ Ed didn't last long enough to tell me. Sure, I heard him digging out there one night in the soft earth and it was the next day that Ronsford was just gone. But Vilma not the one to stick her nose into other people's business. That steamshovel job brought more money, too, and that was okay my me. You think a girl wants to grow old and never have any of the nice things? You're crazy. Let Ed be the big shot and run the steam shovel, I thought. ”

“ I answered.
"Funny noise," he went on, and we both listened.
The rumbling continued, off in the distance. Then it seemed a little louder, or maybe the wind had shifted. We both lay there in the dark listening. ”

“ I said, "Why?" After twice that was enough. Ed had his reasons.
The cottage was all one floor, a big living-dining room, bedroom, porch, and a little garage sticking out like something they'd pasted on as an afterthought. It was lonely and the nearest neighbors' house was God knows how far away and I wasn't so keen about that. ”

“ I could tell from his breathing that Ed was awake, too, and I guessed he was worrying how much longer they'd let him have his shovel. Or maybe he was worrying about other things.
I don't know which one of us heard the noise first but it didn't mean so much to me. Just a rumbling far off in the distance like a freight train makes crossing a distant bridge at night. Then Ed said—I remember his exact words—"Vilma, you awake?" ”

“ I tried to take the edge of screaming out of my voice. "Miss Meadows!"
I heard the nurse's heavy steps on the stairs outside my room. My nails bit into the palm of my hands as I fought for control. Miss Meadows came into the room.
"What's the matter, dear?"
I pointed out the window. "What's that doing out there?" I tried to keep my voice steady.
The nurse looked. "Oh, didn't you know? We're going to excavate to build onto this wing. It's just a steamshovel, my dear. ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 2004, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 18 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
It is imperative that contributors search the renewal databases and ascertain that there is no evidence of a copyright renewal before using this license. Failure to do so will result in the deletion of the work as a copyright violation. ”